Brought Together
by Luv the Legend
Summary: A year after winning the Clue Hunt, Amy goes back to school to find Ian Kabra already there! But then, a mysterious Vesper boy with a certain charm kidnaps Amy and takes her...where? What if nobody can find her? What if...she doesn't want to go back?
1. Chapter 1: A New School

**hey guys, its luv the legend :) this is only my second fanfic, so while criticism is welcome, plz dont be too harsh, either. actually, im not even done with my first story, but nobody was reading it :'( so i decided to write another story that might gain me some readers :D im sorta rly into romance and stuff, so im mostly writing stories that include some kind of romance. my other story is called "Sakura of the Burning Ice", so if u like action, romance, and PJO, check it out ^.^**

* * *

Chapter One: A New School

Amy's POV

"Amy! C'mon, get up! It's the first day of school!" Nellie's voice rang through the house.

With a stretch and a yawn, I changed and went downstairs to find my beloved au pair preparing pancakes for breakfast.

"Ready for the first day of school, Ames?" Nellie asked, smiling.

"No," I laughed.

"Get Dan downstairs and I'll finish getting breakfast ready," Nellie laughed back.

I went upstairs to Dan's room, which was, as always, a complete mess. I found Dan snoring away on the floor in front of his TV, his X-box remote next to him. I sighed. "C'mon, Dan, get up. It's time for school."

*Snort* "We didn't have school yesterday, why today?" he grumbled.

"That's cause it's the first day of school, idiot."

"But I'm _tired_," Dan groaned.

"That's your own fault. You know, this is the _seventh time_ this month that you've fallen asleep on the floor playing video games," I rambled. "Why do you spend so much money on that stuff, anyways? It's not like it's productive or anything. Not to mention all those worthless ninja posters, fake ninja equipment, expensive ninja-"

"Yeah, yeah, blabbity, blah, blah. I'll be down in a few," he interrupted, groaning as he stood up.

I smiled to myself. The lecture-in-the-morning tactic always worked. "Hurry up."

After a delicious breakfast of homemade blueberry waffles in maple syrup and fresh milk, Nellie drove Dan and I to our new school. Just before we arrived, I sighed suddenly. Without taking his eyes off the window, Dan asked, "Somethin' wrong?"

"Well, it's just...you know, new school and everything. It just doesn't seem..._right_, after all we've been through for the Clue Hunt. I know it's already been a year since then, but it just never occurred to me that we might be able to go back to a normal life..." I trailed away.

"Well, not _everything's_ back to normal," Dan replied. "Remember, we still report to base on weekends."

I laughed. "I don't know if I'm supposed to find that comforting or annoying."

Nellie dropped me off first at Viewpoint High School. "Be good, Dan. Try to make a good first impression, okay?" I reminded.

"Oh, I'll definitely make an impression," he replied with a mischievous smile. "But _I_ won't be responsible for whether it's good or bad."

"That's what I was afraid of," I sighed as I closed the door and headed into my new school.

I gazed upon my new school. My first thought was, _That's a _big_ building!_

It was _giant_, compared to my old school. Then again, my old school could've just been especially small. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going, and I bumped into someone.

"Oops! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking!" I apologized.

I looked at the girl on the ground. She had lightly tanned skin and looked pretty fair. She had on a pair of jeans and a red and yellow tee, which complimented her brown hair and hazel eyes. She was about my height, not too tall, but not too short, either. She looked pretty natural, too; no make-up at all. "Oh, it's okay," she smiled. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

"Um, yeah. I'm starting here as a sophomore. My name's Amy Cahill," I replied, helping her up.

"Oh, I'm a sophomore, too! I'm Jennifer Minoore. You can call me Jen." She took my hand and stood up. She smiled again and said, "Our school's pretty big. Want me to help you around?"

"That'd be great," I said gratefully. Well, at least I was making friends. _This school might not be so bad,_ I thought. Sheesh, I shouldn't have jinxed it.

The bell rang, and the crowd outside rumbled towards the double doors. With Jen's help, I made it to my locker and to my first class safely, just as the bell rang. But I immediately wished that I had gotten lost in the hallways instead. Because gazing back at me from the back row of desks...was _Ian Kabra_.

* * *

**haha sry its so short, i mainly wanted to clarify how old amy and dan are now. btw, if im wrong about anything, like "if amy is a sophomore, then the clue hunt ended 2 years ago, not 1" or something like that, the PLZ TELL ME AND I WILL FIX IT ASAP. plz R&R, even if u dont see any mistakes. oh, and a few questions:**

**1. If Amy's a sophomore, then how old is she? What about Ian? Should he even be in the same grade as Amy?**

**2. Should I bring someone else in and make a love triangle, or should I just keep it as Amy-Ian?**

**And not rly a question, but is the Amy/Ian thing in school too cliche now?**

**kk thx for reading (and hopefully reviewing :D)**

**Lovely Out! (haha, get it? Luv the Legend? Luv-Le? Lovely? XD)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Cobra

**OMG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND REVIEWED THE FIRST CHAPTER! You guys have no idea how happy that makes me. My first reviews... *sniffle* :') I was looking at my story, and then, I was, like, "Woah! I got reviews! More than one, even! WOOT! PARTY IN THE HOUSE!" Anyways, I read everything, and thank you for those tips. I will definately be considering them as I write my story.**

* * *

Chapter Two: The Cobra

Amy's POV

I was shocked. Stunned. Exasperated by my luck. Only one thought was clear. _Ian Kabra is enrolled in my new school._

As Jen took her seat, I saw that only one seat was open. And it was, of course, _right next_ to Ian. Crap. At least Jen was on my other side.

The teacher was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She gestured towards me and said, "Class, this is a new student. She is enrolling in our school as of today. Please be respectful." Turning towards me, she said, "I'm Mrs. Ream. Why don't you tell the class a bit about yourself?"

I was glad that I'd gotten rid of my stutter during Madrigal training. "I'm Amy Cahill. I have a l-little brother in m-middle school named Dan. I-I've traveled around the world a lot, and I-I like to read." Well, _most_ of it , anyways.

Mrs. Ream thanked me and directed me to the empty desk between Ian and Jen. I turned my attention to Jen as soon as I got to my seat and didn't let Ian get in a word for the entire class, although I could practically _feel_ his eyes on me the entire time. Problem solved for first period. I wondered how many more classes I would have to endure with him.

I hurried out the door when the bell rang, and Jen quickly followed. "Hey, what's the big deal?" she inquired. "Do you _know_ Ian or something? Does he like you? He practically spent the whole period staring at you! Do _you_ like him?"

I hesitated. "Well...we have a complicated past," I finally said.

"Good complicated or bad complicated?"

I honestly couldn't say. I quickly changed the subject. "Hey, what do you have next?"

Jen eyed me suspiciously. I knew that she wouldn't drop the subject completely, but she answered, "I have history with Mr. Ario. Then I have Algebra 2 with Mr. Kreanan."

"I have history, too. But then I have Spanish with Mrs. Liliana. We have the same lunch times, though, right?"

"Most likely. Hey, here's the history classroom."

I peeked in through the doorway. No Ian in sight. I ended up being seated next to a window with Jen two desks down. History was fairly simple, although I much preferred the Cahill history that Dan and I had learned during Madrigal training.

Afterward, Jen and I split up for third period, promising to meet up at lunch. I found Ian sitting at a desk in the second row, staring at me. Again. Luckily, I was seated a decent distance away from him this time.

I sat with Jen during lunch, for which I had made myself a turkey sandwich. I only ate half of it. I didn't even _like_ turkey. I'd only made it because I hadn't wanted to buy and there was nothing else I could make.

But as soon as I was finished, Jen started to grill me. "So, about Ian."

I groaned. "I told you, Jen, I don't want to talk about it."

Jen huffed. "Fine, then, _I'll_ tell you what _I_ know. First of all, he's really popular. Especially with the girls."

I looked around and saw that Ian was sitting at a crowded table with lots of bulky jocks and preppy fan girls. But I noticed that as soon as I caught his eye, he turned away.

Jen continued, "At least three-quarters of the female population at our school want to go out with him, but he doesn't really care. Apparently, he doesn't like any of them. He doesn't have a girlfriend, and he's not going out with anyone, either."

"Do _you_ want to go out with him?" I asked.

"Eh, not really. I'd probably like it if he gave me some attention, though. But then again, who wouldn't?" she reasoned.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, until I heard something _totally_ unexpected. A silky British voice whispered into my ear, "Hello, love."

My body reacted faster than my mind could. Months of Madrigal training had sharpened my reflexes a hundredfold. A few years ago, I would've jumped and screamed. Now, I whirled around and threw a punch at the speaker.

"OW!" Ian cried. Oops. My bad.

"Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry, Ian! I didn't mean to do that! Are you okay?" The words rushed out of my mouth.

Ian was clutching his forehead while saying, "Ah, I'm...fine. It wasn't really that bad. I suppose I deserved that, anyways. I'm sorry if I surprised you."

Ha. If I'd actually _meant_ to punch him, it probably would've hurt _a lot_ more. Training had really improved everything. Luckily, my mind had calculated the words and owner of the voice, and softened my punch before it hit.

Jen was gaping at me with a incredulous expression. "Wow, Amy. I did _not_ expect that."

I turned to Ian. "What are _you_ doing here?" I asked warily.

Ian grinned. "You mean at the school or at your lunch table?"

"Both," I replied.

"Well, I came over to talk to you. And as for what I'm doing in this school..." He looked at Jen, then back at me. I got the message. Ian slipped out a piece of paper and a pencil. "Could I have your phone number? I'll call you later and tell you."

He looked straight at me. His amber eyes burned into mine. He whispered softly, "Please."

My knees went weak. Stupid knees. Fortunately, I was still sitting at the table. Glaring back at him, I replied, "Fine." I scribbled down my number and gave it to him.

Ian smiled and said, "Thank you. Would you mind if I joined you for the rest of the period?"

"Yes," I snapped. "Go away."

He looked at me sadly. "Amy, I'm truly sorry for what I did. I wish I hadn't done it. Can't you please forgive me?" he said.

I looked at him and saw something in his eyes. Guilt? Remorse? _Ian _does _look sorry..._ I thought. _Then again, Kabras are really good actors - like back in Korea...but the Clue Hunt is over now. Maybe it's time to be a Madrigal and start forgiving._ I sighed.

I softened my steel gaze. "Ian," I began. "what's done is done. I can't do anything about it. I would say I've forgiven you, but I haven't. But...I won't blame you anymore. Let's just be friends. No more trickery. Okay?"

Ian grinned again. "Thank you, Amy. I - I won't disappoint you again. You can trust me this time."

_I certainly hope so,_ I thought as Ian rose and walked back to his table.

* * *

**Wow. I guess _all_ of my chapters are destined to be short. Sorry 'bout that ^^" So what do you guys think? Is it still too cliche? Sorry if you didn't like that "Hello, love." I felt like I just _had_ to put it in, it's so classic now (I hope that you liked Amy's reaction, at least). XD But I probably won't use it anymore unless absolutely necessary. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the story will _not_ be entirely in Amy's POV, and first period was English. Also more questions ^^":**

**1. What classes would you take as a sophomore? Also, correct me if I was mistaken about any of Amy's subjects. (I wouldn't know, I'm still in middle school. I'm just guessing. XD)**

**2. Do you want me to continue this story and try to make it more original, or should I just finish this as a cliche and start another fanfic more originally?**

**3. Send me a message if you have an idea that you would like me to insert into the story. I can't guarantee it, but I'll try my best to use it.**

**And lastly, don't forget what I said in the first chapter about my first story (Be the first to review it and I'll love you forever :3).**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	3. Chapter 3: Gym Class

**Wow, you guys are horrible. Forcing me to post two chapters in _one day_. XD jk. I love you guys, thanks for reviewing. :3 So here's Chapter Three:**

* * *

Chapter Three: Gym Class

Amy's POV

Fourth period was gym. I turned out that Jen, Ian, and I actually had the same block together again. After lunch, I was feeling _way_ less nervous around Ian, but I still wasn't totally comfortable. I was genuinely curious about gym. Would it be the same for me before? Or would it be surprisingly easy for me because of the rigorous training that I had undergone as a Madrigal agent? _Well, only one way to find out,_ I thought as I took a seat in the bleachers next a spaced-out Jen and a gently smiling Ian, who appeared to be edging away from a group of girls drooling over him. "Who's our teacher?" I inquired.

Ian gagged, which was downright hilarious, coming from a _Kabra_. "Teacher?" he said with mock amazement. "Pro wrestler is more like it. Coach Morber's got as much bulk as Eisenhower Holt. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a Tomas."

I shuddered at the thought of "big daddy Holt". "Anything I should, umm...avoid doing?" I asked. Just to be on the safe side.

Jen answered for me. "Just stick with 'Yes, Coach Morber. No, Coach Morber. I'll kick butt, Coach Morber, sir.' And whatever you do, do not, I repeat, _do not_, under _any circumstance_, step into the field when Coach Morber is giving a demonstration."

"Right," I mumbled. "Thanks for the warning." If I had one consolation, it was that Ian seemed to be trying to keep things friendly.

Suddenly, the bleachers started to vibrate. "Omg, it's an earthquake!" I panicked.

Jen cleared her throat. "Amy? That's not an earthquake. It's -" Jen shut her mouth immediately as a terror walked in through the door.

_Oh, my, gosh._ This dude was most definitely a Tomas. Probably a direct descendant, too. This guy was _huge_, he made the Incredible Hulk look like a little boy showing off his underdeveloped muscles. Well, okay, maybe that was a bit exaggerated, but he was definitely bulky. He had so much muscle all over, it was almost too gross to look at. Fortunately, he had on ripped jeans _and_a T-shirt (probably an XXXXL), so we could only see his arms, legs, and head. I swear, the bleachers rumbled whenever he opened his mouth.

"ALRIGHT," he boomed. "COACH MORBER'S IN THE GYM, WHICH MEANS _NO FOOLING AROUND_. ONTO THE FLOOR, GET A MOVE ON, YOU NINNIES."

Everybody rushed out of the bleachers and hurriedly sat on the sides of a big mat that was spread across the entire gym. I followed Jen and Ian and took a seat at the edge of the crowd.

After doing me a thankfully quick introduction, Coach Morber swept his gaze across the crowd before announcing with a huge smile, "Today, we will be doing mat wrestling. We will have a tournament with individual, 1-on-1 matches. I will select the match-ups. Boys and girls will NOT be separated. Last one standing wins. You must pin your opponent to the ground for 10 seconds. There are no rules."

There was no reaction among the crowd, probably because they were all afraid to direct a single sentence at the coach. Ian whispered sarcastically to me, "He's probably just _bursting_ with happiness at this chance to share his profession with us." I giggled for about a second before abruptly cutting it off.

Then, I realized something. "Hey, you're not complaining. Do you _like_ mat wrestling?" I asked.

"No," Ian replied immediately. "But it's not as if I can object. I have influence over many things, but a 1000-pound mass of muscle is not one of them. Besides, fath - I mean, Vikram and Isabel had me trained in hand-to-hand combat along with my other studies. I don't suppose _you've_ had much experience in this, though. Or was that included in your training as well?"

"As a matter of fact, it was," I replied smugly. "Not to mention that I'm now highly skilled in it." But I stopped when I noticed Jen looking at me suspiciously.

Coach wrote the match-ups on the whiteboard, crushing two Expo markers in the process. _Great,_ I thought, as I found myself on the mat first with a boy named Todd. He stood with his legs apart, in a stance which he apparently thought was a professional and threatening stance. I stood there with my arms crossed, looking bored.

"BEGIN!" Coach roared.

I steeled myself into battle mode. Todd flung himself headfirst at me. Poor boy. I nimbly sidestepped and watched him stumble and fall flat on his face. He didn't stay down for long. He growled, literally, and approached more cautiously this time. We circled each other, with Todd in that ridiculous stance and me looking relaxed, but all tensed up. Finally, I said, "This is taking too long."

In a single smooth movement, I was in Todd's face, and my fist made contact with his chest, sending him flying backwards. He groaned as he tried to get up, so I walked over put my foot on him to keep him down.

"8, 9, 10! AMY IS THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND," Coach announced.

_Huh,_ I thought, as I allowed myself to melt back to normal. _That wasn't too bad. Boring, maybe, but not bad. Maybe I should make my punches lighter. Don't want to cause an accident._

I looked over the sea of faces, and suddenly felt nervous again. I might have been great on the mat, but I _still_couldn't handle crowds. Everyone's eyes bulged and their jaws had dropped to the floor. I looked over at my friends. Jen's mouth was wide open, and Ian was looking at me with a new respect in his eyes.

Coach cleared his throat. "Well, ON TO THE NEXT MATCH!"

I watched the matches. Most of them were boring. It wasn't even _real _wrestling, considering the fact that none of us were heavy enough to actually _pin _someone down. Some people lost on purpose so that they wouldn't have to face the tougher opponents later on, which I found particularly amusing. Jen had an interesting fighting style. She focused mostly on defense and using her opponents' strength against them. Ian was...well, Ian was just plain amazing. He knocked down all of his opponents with well-aimed blows, and he didn't even have to keep them down in the end.

Finally, after I fought three more matches, I was facing off against Ian. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw money being passed between some people. I couldn't believe it. They were actually _betting_ on the winner of the match.

"START THE MATCH!"

Neither of us moved. I narrowed my eyes. "_You_ can have the first move, Ian," I teased.

Ian looked uncertainly for any weak spots. He threw a punch at my stomach. I raised my hand to block it, but he suddenly kicked at my jaw instead. I landed on the mat with a grunt. Some girls screamed. I stood quickly. No _way_ was I letting a _Lucian_ beat me. I did a flip over his head, landed behind him, and attempted to trip him. No such luck. I transitioned into a corkscrew attack. I advanced on him with a whirl of kicks and punches, carefully placing my balance on the mat. It was a risky move, because I could easily become unbalanced, but it usually worked, and that was the case this time. I could hear people cheering. I pushed Ian back to the edge of the mat and suddenly, we were face-to-face. I kicked him to one side, and he punched me to the other side. We each took a few seconds on the mat to recover our breaths. Ian recovered first, and he came to pin me back down as I attempted to do the same. I pretended to struggle hopelessly, and just before Coach reached 10, I kicked up my legs, launching Ian into the air. I met him on the ground with a spinning kick that sent him face-first into the mat. We struggled wildly as a desperate attempt to defeat each other before we ran out of energy. I could hear chants of "IAN! IAN!" and "AMY! AMY!"

Finally, after what seemed like days, Coach finally yelled, "TEN! AMY CAHILL IS THE CHAMPION!"

Ian and I collapsed on the mat, completely exhausted. Ian looked over at me and grinned. "Not bad for a Cahill," he said.

The words hit me like an avalanche. Those were the same words he had spoken to me back in Korea. When he had... I shook the thought out of my head and managed a smile. I gave him the reply he probably expected. "You're a Cahill, too."

Our eyes met. I found affection in his amber gaze. I wondered what he saw in mine. But just then, a crowd overwhelmed us, with cheers and congratulations. Jen was all over me. She kept saying things like, "_Where in the world_ did you guys learn to fight like that?" and "You guys are _totally awesome_." Everyone finally gave us enough space to stand up and brush off our clothes.

"Good match, Ian," I said.

"That was a wonderful victory, Amy," he replied. He kissed me softly on the cheek. In front of everybody. I silently cursed my inability to control my blushing. The horrible thing was, I couldn't really object.

* * *

**Not so cliche anymore, is it? Well, I guess the last part sort of was...but that was _completely_necessary. XP Nice fight, right? By the way, in case you're wondering:**

**1. It is NOT OOC, Amy is just very different when she is fighting. And the reason she's so good is that she was trained as a Madrigal agent.**

**2. And why is Amy suddenly acting like she and Ian are BFFs? Because she's trying to build a _friendship_. Same with Ian, supposedly.**

**Okay, more questions:**

**1. Should Ian and Natalie move in with Amy, Dan, and Nellie?**

**2. Do you guys also want me to throw in a Dan/Natalie? (Frankly, I would rather not, but, you know, just getting some opinions.)**

**3. Should I just keep it as (Amy's POV) and (Ian's POV), or do you want someone else's perspective, too?**

**4. Is it..._still_ too cliche? *wince***

**Remember, I'm still open to any suggestions that you guys might have. And also, the only reason I've been able to write so much lately is because of winter break. I'm going back to school in two days, so I won't be able to update _nearly_ as much as I would like to. But, as always, I will try.**

**And last but not least, HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	4. Chapter 4: Catching Up

**Omg. I'm writing so much. I think the reason is that I'm making up the story as I go along, so I'm just as excited to find out the rest of it as you guys are. BTW, I'm not getting/using Beta. It's just too..._techy_. It's just me and Word 2003 with a broken spell check.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Catching Up

Amy's POV

I had to ride the bus home, because Nellie had decided that Dan and I were mature and responsible enough to at least manage walking the short distance from the bus stop to our home by ourselves. To my great surprise (and slight disappointment), Ian was riding the same bus to _his_ home. Oh, why does the world hate me so? I was starting to suspect that Ian was pulling some strings to create these frequent "coincidental meets".

When Ian saw me, his face lit up. He waved me over, calling, "Sit here, Amy."

I hesitated for a moment before going to join him. I decided to chance it and asked, "Could you tell me now? You know, your story?"

Ian shook his head. "Not safe," he whispered, glancing around nervously. He suddenly asked, "Would it be alright if I could stay at your house for a while?"

"Why?" I asked, my eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Ian flinched as he recognized the suspicion. "I just - we could talk there. Safely," he replied quickly. "It wouldn't take long."

I thought for a moment before deciding, "Okay. I suppose it can't hurt too much."

The bus stopped along a row of large estates. I stood to get off, with Ian right behind me. When the bus drove away, Ian turned to me in surprise and said, "You live here?"

"Yeah," I answered. "We live in the second house. Just until Grace's mansion is rebuilt, but it probably won't be finished for at least another two years. I suppose it's small for _you_, but -"

"No, no, that's not it," Ian cut me off. "It's just that...Natalie and I live in the house behind that."

Ian's POV

Amy stood there, her mouth wide open in shock. In my mind, I grimaced. What I had done to her in Korea had irreversible consequences. But did she really think of me that horribly? When I had found out that she would be transferring into my school, I was overjoyed. I'd searched for her for months without results, and here she was, in our school. So, naturally, I'd hacked into the computer system and moved her classes around so that it would connect with mine quite a bit. None of the teachers seemed to suspect, fortunately. Of course, I couldn't have _all_ of my classes with her. That would have been much too noticeable. But, being the intelligent girl she was, Amy would most likely find out anyway.

"Well, let's go," I said cheerfully.

Amy led me silently to her door. She rang the doorbell, and her brother opened the door.

"Hey, Amy, you're -" he cut off when he saw me. His eyes opened wide, and he gasped, "Amy! That's the Cobra! Why's _he_ here?"

She silenced him with a single look. She looked at me uncertainly and led me inside. "Umm..." she started uncomfortably. "Want to sit down?" She gestured to a quaint dinner table.

"Yes, thank you." I sat down.

"Hey, Dan? I think you should come too," she called.

Dan made an immature face at me and sat down next to Amy, glaring at me the entire time. It would be _quite_ difficult to convince him to forgive me.

"Dan, stop glaring so much," Amy scolded. "You should probably get used to this. He's in the same school as me. And...he's our next door neighbor."

"WHAT?" he practically exploded. "THE COBRAS? Oh, no! Natalie's probably going to be at _my_school, too! Aaaahhh, it's a _disaster_!"

"_Dan!_ Ian's just here to explain things. Right, Ian?" she looked at me.

"Umm, yes. Of course," I said, looking at Dan. "Shall I begin?" Amy nodded.

"Well, after the clue hunt, Vikram and Isabel disowned us. We were left with no inheritance, only the four million from the gauntlet." Amy looked at me sympathetically, and I felt a flutter inside of me. "So we moved here. We couldn't spend too much money on housing, but Natalie refused to live in any building smaller than that one. I started going to _public_ school," I said distastefully. "But Natalie insisted that she simply could _not_live with such an embarrassment. She goes to a private school, so you won't be seeing her much, Dan." Dan looked relieved. "Even though our parents disowned us, I will soon be the next head of the Lucian branch, what with Isabel in jail and Vikram close to having to step down. There's really not much else to tell," I concluded. "Care to tell me _your_ story?"

Amy looked at Dan, and I could tell that they were conversing just by _looking_ at each other. I felt a twinge of envy. They were so close. If Natalie and I were very close, could _we_ have done that? Somehow, I found it hard to imagine.

Finally, Amy looked back at me and said, "Okay. So, after we won, we immediately got Grace's mansion rebuilt, but, like I said, it's going to take some time, and we're living here in the meantime. Nellie, Dan, and I. Even though the clue hunt was over, Uncle Fiske insisted on having us properly trained, even Nellie. You already know that Luke, Katherine, Thomas, and Jane Cahill each got a portion of Gideon's serum, and the effects became a part of the DNA. But after the family split apart and Gideon died, Olivia Cahill became desperate to piece her family back together, so she gave her fifth child, Madeleine Cahill, the full serum, making the Madrigals good at _everything_. But the Madrigals welcome even those who aren't tied into the Cahill family, so everyone goes through the same rigorous training in order to make sure that all agents are equally skilled, more or less.

"So we went through the training process, which took roughly a year. There's an actual academy for it, and they teach the regular subjects, like math and science, so that we won't be behind when we go back to our normal schools. They teach us stuff like poison chemistry, hand-to-hand combat, foreign languages and accents, it's actually really fun and useful. Nellie's still our au pair, but now, she's more of a big sister/bodyguard to us. And Uncle Fiske will be stepping down soon, and I'm the next heir for head of the Madrigal branch. And that's pretty much what we've been doing for the past year," Amy finished.

I noticed that Dan was glaring at her. "Why'd you have to tell him _all_ of that?" he accused.

Amy blushed. She looked so shy and cute when she did that. "Sorry, I wasn't really thinking," she said quietly. "Ian," she looked at me in the eye. "I can trust you with that information, can't I? I really wasn't supposed to tell."

My heart leaped. Amy was telling me that she trusted me enough to tell me quite a few Madrigal secrets. "You can," I promised firmly. "I won't tell. You can trust me."

Amy smiled and whispered, "Thank you."

I smiled back. I checked my watch and saw that it was already time for dinner. "I should be going now," I said regretfully. "Natalie will be expecting dinner. Thank you for having me over. I expect that I shall see you in school tomorrow, Amy."

Amy followed me to the door. As she closed the door, she whispered, "Good night."

What a wonderful day it had been.

* * *

**Okay, so they're next-door neighbors instead of housemates. And, yes, by the end of the story, Amy and Ian will be branch leaders. I don't think that any of my chapters will be very long. Sorry! But I'll be updating more frequently. Hopefully.**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	5. Chapter 5: Thinking

**You guys had better be thankful that I found the time to post this. XD I know that the story's been missing out on action, but the main plot begins with this chapter. Read on! ^.^**

* * *

Chapter Five: Thinking

Amy's POV

OMG. How much more stupid could I get? One smile. That's all it took from Ian Kabra to make me melt. Pretty soon, he could probably just ask me to write down the recipe for Gideon's serum with full confidence that I would do it. That was _not_ what I had learned from training. I couldn't let Korea happen all over again.

"Amy?" Dan called cautiously. "You're not getting all moony over that Cobra again, are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I knew it! You _are_, aren't you! AAHHH! MY SISTER'S IN LOVE WITH A COBRA AND THEY'RE GONNA GET MARRIED AND HAVE COBRA BABIES!"

I smacked him. "DAN CAHILL, YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

Dan laughed maniacally while I chased him around the house. We both finally ended up on the floor, clutching our stomachs from laughing so hard.

Ian's POV

As I walked up the steps to my house, I felt slightly dizzy. Amy was certainly something else. What was it that drew me towards her so much? Was it her gentle shyness? Her appreciation towards everything, no matter how small?

Natalie opened the door for me, whining, "_Ian_, why are you so _late_? _Where_ have you _been_? I've been waiting this whole time for dinner. I got home at least an hour ago, you know. And did you just _walk_ here? From _next door_?"

"Natalie," I interrupted. "Yes, I was next door. It turns out that Amy and Dan Cahill are the current residents there. I -"

I was cut off by a screeching Natalie. "That _what_? WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THOSE CAHILL BRATS DOING _NEXT DOOR_?"

I tried to soothe her. "Natalie, _calm down_, for Gideon's sake. What are you screaming for?"

Natalie took some deep breaths. She finally said, with her voice under limited control, "So tell me what happened."

I told her everything from this morning to gym class to what Amy had told me only minutes before. When I finished, Natalie's anger had been replaced by a curious expression.

"You like the girl, don't you," she accused.

"I find her interesting," I replied calmly. "That doesn't necessarily mean I have feelings for her."

"_You like her_," she insisted.

"Why would I like a plain girl like Amy?" I reasoned.

"Humph. I'll get to the bottom of this, Ian Kabra," she declared.

Relieved, I watched her storm off. But I thought to myself. _Did_ I like Amy? I was still unsure. I knew that something had happened in Korea. That was why Amy had been so upset over that. I'd betrayed her, yes, but more than that, I'd broken her heart. That meant that _she_ had liked me. I'd flirted with her to ensure that she would. But I knew that deep inside, when I'd told Amy in Korea that I'd wanted us to be together, it hadn't been a complete lie.

?'s POV

I walked through the damp tunnel, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the horrid stench. _Eww, something weird just dropped onto my top._ But it would all be worth it in the end. I saw a lantern's light up ahead. _Finally,_ I thought. I turned the corner to see a beautiful lady holding a lantern with an expectant expression on her face.

"Are you sure you weren't followed?" she asked.

"Of course not," I answered. She seemed satisfied with that.

"Well?" she demanded. "Any news?"

"Yes, I have a report. A good one," I replied.

"Oh, it'd better be," she muttered. "I'm sick of waiting."

"Amy Cahill has been transferred into the school successfully. She's met up with Ian Kabra, and she still suspects nothing."

"Have you made contact with her?"

"Oh, yes. I have very good proximity to her, almost as close as Ian. I'm sure she will come to trust me very much, very soon."

She looked pleased. "I'm counting on you. If this mission succeeds and I rise to power once again, you will certainly have your reward."

"Thank you, Lady Isabel."

* * *

**Oh, snap. I bet half of you already know who it is. It's so predictable 'cause I'm a total fail at this sort of stuff. . I'm sorry it's so short, but I wanted to post it up quickly and I haven't worked out the fine details for the next part. So I think that's how this story's going to be for the next couple of chapters until we get a reasonable break from school (maybe and the end of this quarter). I'm going to post frequently, probably at least twice a week if I don't have writer's block, but the chapters may be disappointingly short. Oh, and guys? It's probably best if you don't review the disclaimer, 'cause I'm going to keep moving it back everytime I post a new chapter, so it's always going to be the last "chapter".**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	6. Chapter 6: Suspecting

**Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I couldn't figure out how to start up the next chapter, and I didn't realize how long it's been! But I'm making up for it with an extra-long chapter; it's six whole pages on Word!**

* * *

Chapter Six: Suspecting

Amy's POV

"Amy? Are you okay?" Jen peered at me curiously.

I jerked my head towards her. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About you-know-who?" she replied teasingly.

My cheeks turned pink. "No! I was- It's just- No!" I stammered.

Jen grinned, but thankfully turned her attention back to the Biology teacher.

I had been thinking about the day before. Ian had seemed sincere, and if what he had said was true, then he had been through a lot. But I still wasn't sure that I could trust him. There were so many things to consider. He could be lying, laying a trap for me under his parents' orders. He could just be playing with me, like he did in Korea. Or...he could be telling the truth. I sighed. _Why does everything have to be so complicated?_ I thought.

I suddenly thought of something. "Hey, Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"Just wondering but...umm...why are you so interested in Ian and me?"

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I saw Jen stiffen for just a fraction of a second. She quickly shrugged and replied, "Well, I'm just interested, you being my friend and all. You know, looking out for you and stuff."

A smile crawled across my face. "You know what _I_ think? I think _you_ have a crush on Ian."

"Uhh, no! I mean, yes! Er...why would _I_ like Ian?" she stammered. It was _soo_ obvious. I just kept grinning. "All right," she finally admitted. "I _do_ like Ian." (_Huh-duh_) "Just...don't tell, okay? Please?"

"I knew it!" I exclaimed triumphantly. "You want to make sure that Ian and I don't hook up or anything, don't you?" Without giving her a chance to answer, I said, "Don't worry, Ian and I are just friends. Or at least we're supposed to be. And I won't tell, I promise. Although, I don't really see the point in keeping it secret if half the school likes him."

Jen gave a relieved smile (or was that nervous?). "Umm, thanks."

But there was something strange about it. She'd confessed a little too eagerly. And she'd seemed sort of nervous and jumpy when I'd asked her why she was interested in Ian and me. Was she hiding something from me? _It's probably nothing,_ I thought.

But even so, I decided to talk to Ian about it when I met him next block in Algebra 2.

"So, where's your friend?" he asked curiously.

"You mean Jen? She's in art," I answered. "But, you know, she was sort of weird this morning. I asked her about...umm, something, but she became all jumpy and nervous when I did. I know that I haven't known her for very long, but...I think she might be hiding something. Something big."

He nodded seriously. "I've watched her a few times. She definitely has some sort of secret. This one time, she was looking at me, but when I looked back, she jerked her head away. But here's the thing: she wasn't flirting with me or anything. She was just...watching me. Like she was observing me secretly."

For some reason, that sent shivers down my spine. "Do you think it has to do with the Cahills?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," he admitted. "It seems possible, maybe even probable."

"Well, should we do something about it?"

"I don't think so. Remember, we're only suspecting. That's not the same thing as knowing."

"Well, obviously."

Ian ignored me. "The best thing to do right now would be to continue on as normal and watch her."

I scoffed. "Since when did _you_ become the expert branch leader?"

Ian smirked back. "Just because I've been disowned doesn't mean I'm not a Kabra anymore."

"Figures. Hey, I have an idea. Dan and I have to report to base over the weekend for training. Why don't you come with us?" I suggested.

Ian hesitated. "To a Madrigal base? Is that...allowed?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's encouraged, even. If we want to make peace between the branches, inviting them to our own bases shows signs of peace and trust," I explained. "Of course, you won't be allowed to go to the classes or watch us train or anything like that- you know, 'cause we can't give away _all_ of our secrets- but you can still hang out with us in the suites. Natalie can come, too."

Ian thought for a moment before replying, "All right, I guess it can't hurt too much."

I felt a little lonely when I found myself without Ian or Jen for seventh block, art, but consoled myself with the fact that we would most likely meet up at lunch. I thought about that. Was it really a good thing? Yes, it was nice to have company, but what if it was the wrong kind of company? Ian and I had decided that Jen was definitely hiding something, but we weren't sure whether it was good or bad. Even so, she _was_ my only friend at school besides Ian. And what _about_ Ian? I'd described our relationship as "just friends", but...what if I wanted us to be more than that? I knew that trusting and falling in love was dangerous, especially when you're a Cahill, not to mention when they're in a different branch. _But,_ I realized, _I can't deny that I have feelings for him._

At lunch, I sat with Jen, like the day before, but when Ian tried to join us, our table became overcrowded with jocks and preppy fan girls, who pushed us to the edge of our seats. Ian glanced at us apologetically. Jen and I finished our lunches in silence until we were dismissed. But as we were walking back to our classes, Ian joined us, thankfully without his tail of admirers. Just as we were about to split up again, my phone began vibrating.

I took my phone out of my pocket and looked at the screen. It was a text message from Tremor Woods Middle School.

"Oh no," I groaned. "That's Dan's school."

_To the parents/guardians of Daniel Cahill:_

_An incident has occurred with Daniel, who has been sent to the main office. Please be notified that he will not be allowed on the bus and must be picked up after school as soon as possible._

"Parents/guardians?" Jen repeated.

"I gave my own information to the school office instead of Nellie's. I'm old enough to handle Dan," I replied. "But that's not important. What could've happened to Dan? Do you think-" I cut off, remembering Jen. I looked at Ian, who seemed to understand.

"We'll go as soon as school is over," he confirmed. He shared my fears that another Cahill might have found Dan and tried to attack him.

Jen made a frustrated noise. "Ugh, I can't go. My mom's expecting me home as soon as we're out 'cause we're having guests over today. Sorry."

I was secretly relieved. If it _did_ turn out to be an incident with the Cahills, I wouldn't want Jen to become involved. "That's okay. It's probably nothing, anyway," I assured her.

* * *

"Dan!" I yelled as I rushed through the office door at Tremor Woods, followed by Ian.

"Amy!" Dan yelped as he jumped up and ran towards me.

"What happened, Dan? Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone show up?" I quickly scanned him for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Amy! I got out just in time!" he replied.

"Just in time for what?" Ian inquired.

Dan looked at Ian and let out a strangled cry. "What's _he_ doing here?"

Amy quickly replied, "That doesn't matter right now. _What happened?_"

"It's my history teacher!" Dan blurted with a wild look in his eyes. "He's an Ekat, I'm sure! He had all this equipment, and he was asking me all these questions about Benjamin Franklin!"

I gaped at him, dumbstruck.

"But I didn't tell him anything!" he continued triumphantly. "I just gave him a few punches to teach him a lesson! Ha! Those Ekats are crazy if they think they're getting any information out of _me_!"

I pressed my hand against my forehead. Beside me, Ian shook his head slowly. I should have know that going from the hunt to a normal school would be a difficult transition for Dan.

"Umm, listen, Dan," I began slowly. "I'm, uh, proud that you kept it a secret. But I'm pretty sure that your teacher _isn't_ an Ekat. Or any other branch. He's just a regular man trying to do his job."

The wild look left Dan's eyes as he said, "He's...not a Cahill? ...Oh..." He seemed dejected as the realization sunk in.

"Dan, I know this is hard for you," I comforted. "It's sort of hard for me, too. Traveling around the world, suffering whenever we trusted someone." Ian winced. "And now, we're suddenly just going back to a normal life. I understand that it would naturally make you suspicious. But you can't just attack anyone if you don't have any real proof."

Dan was looking at the floor shamefully. "Sorry," he whispered.

I would have hugged him, but that might've creeped him out. So instead, I gently suggested, "Why don't we go home now?"

Suddenly, the old Dan came back. "What about the Cobra? _He's_ not coming with us, is he?"

I think I might have liked the shameful and sorry Dan better. "We rode a taxi here," I sighed. "I think it's still waiting for us to come back out. We should probably go in the same car."

Dan wouldn't stop glaring at Ian all the way home. I decided that it wasn't the best time to inform him that I'd invited Ian to come to base with us. He continued glaring right up to the doorstep, when Ian finally left.

When we went inside, I whipped around to face Dan. "Would you stop glaring at Ian whenever you see him?" I said agitatedly.

"I'm just making sure that he doesn't feel too comfortable around you," he retorted.

"What does _that_ mean?"

"I'm making sure he doesn't break your heart again!"

That stunned me. "What makes you say that?" I finally asked.

Dan's anger left him. "I just don't want you to be all sad again, like with Korea. I may be younger, but I'm still your brother," he said softly. "Trust me, Amy. The Cobra isn't worth it. It's barely been a year since the hunt ended, and you're already falling for him again. He's only going to betray you in the end. I just know it."

"I - I'm not falling for him. And even if I was, he wouldn't betray me. It was different during the clue hunt, and I admit that I was wrong then. But why would he turn against me now?"

"See? That's just it," he remarked. "You think you're over him. So why are you trying so hard to defend him?"

"He's my _friend_," I protested. "Besides, if I'm going to be the branch leader, wouldn't it make sense to be on good terms with the future branch leader of the Lucians?"

Dan sighed helplessly. "Fine," he said. "Just be careful around him, okay, Amy?"

"Don't worry, Dan," I assured him. "I'll be fine. By the way, I invited him to come with us when we report to base this weekend. Could you try to be a little more friendly then?"

Dan looked at me, exasperated. "You _did_?"

"Natalie, too."

"WHAT?" he screeched. "I probably could've handled Ian by himself, but how am I supposed to handle _two_ Cobras!"

I looked at him sternly and answered, "You won't be handling _anyone_. You're just going to be nice and polite to them so I don't kill you when we get home."

"_Amy!_ Why do you always have to use that one?"

"Because you and I both know that I'm perfectly capable of physically injuring you," I shot back.

"Argh! I _hate_ it when I lose!" He stormed off to his room upstairs.

I smiled to myself. The clue hunt had really changed Dan, but he was still my annoying little brother at heart.

* * *

**Woah, Dan. Paranoid, much? Yes, I realize that the characters are a little OOC at some points, but it's absolutely necessary to the story. Btw, I was listening to some songs from the musical, "Wicked", and I love this one song called "What is this Feeling?" It's just hilarious. That, and "Popular". "Defying Gravity" is pretty good, too. Listen to them if you have some time. ;)**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	7. Chapter 7: To the Stronghold

**Hey, guys, come on. 3 reviews? For the longest chapter? I mean, really. If you've read it, please review it! It doesn't tell me how many people have read it, so I can only know throught the number of reviews. BTW, I just realized that I haven't used Nellie a lot since the first chapter, so I'll try to work on that. Well, anyway, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I know you guys are waiting. Or at least I hope you are.**

* * *

Chapter Seven: To the Stronghold

Amy's POV

The rest of the week passed by dully, considering how we started health class in gym. Jen and I just talked. Dan didn't accuse any more teachers of being Cahills. Ian...well, Ian was Ian. I swear, he has serious mood swing issues. First, he's flirting with me, then he's quiet and thoughtful, then he's all snobbish like a classic Kabra, then...well, you get the point. But finally, school was out on Friday. Time to report to base.

"You don't really need to bring much," I told Ian before he returned to his house. "I think you'll be fine with some clothes. Of course, you can always borrow some stuff at base, but most people are more comfortable in their own clothes. We've got plenty of food over there, too, and it's best if you don't bring any personal belongings or anything. Some of the guys like to, umm, practice 'stealth' and, uh, pull pranks."

Ian thanked me and left. I went inside my own house to find that Dan had arrived ahead of me. Nellie greeted me and reminded me to pack, informing me that Dan had already done so. I went up to my room and finished in a few minutes. Dan complained a little more, but thankfully stopped when Ian and Natalie arrived. Natalie hadn't changed much since the hunt. She was still wearing designer clothing with a disdainful look on her face. Natalie carried two suitcases while Ian, surprisingly, held only one.

"Not so spoiled anymore, are we?" I teased.

Ian grinned and explained, "I told Natalie that we were only going for two and a half days, so she valiantly agreed to stuff only two bags."

"I may be visiting a rival base, but I am still a Kabra," Natalie sniffed. "So, when shall we depart? We _will_ at least be traveling by private jet, won't we?"

Nope. She hadn't changed at all. "Yeah, Peter's piloting the private jet, and we can leave right now if you're ready," Nellie answered for me. "We've got food on the plane, too, if you're hungry."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Ian decided.

"Let's get this show on the road," said Dan, who, fortunately, seemed to have given up the perpetual glaring.

We all loaded onto the jet. It was fairly quiet in our chamber. It wasn't completely soundproof, but it was fairly resistant, and we only heard a low purr as the plane took off.

Dan fidgeted for a few minutes before announcing, "Imma go get some chips. You guys want anything?" He directed the question mostly at Nellie and me.

"Nah, I'm good." Nellie shook her head.

"Get me some Coke, will you, Dan?" I replied. "You want something, Ian? Natalie?"

"What do you have?" Ian inquired.

"Almost everything," I grinned broadly.

"Would you happen to stock shaved glacier ice with fresh honey, naturally flavored strawberry syrup, and fine sugar candies in Italian carved glass?" Natalie piped up.

"Uh, we have fine china," I answered.

"I supposed that will do." Natalie looked slightly pleased. Nellie rolled her eyes. "Ian?"

"I'll just have some lemon water, please," he told Dan.

Dan walked over to our well-stocked kitchen and came out a few minutes later holding a tray full of our requests. Natalie picked up the small spoon and started daintily eating the shaved ice. Ian and I sipped our drinks. Dan crunched on his Doritos. Nellie just watched us eat.

We talked for while until we landed in Attleboro, MA. We rode a taxi to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital. I told Ian and Natalie to keep quiet and let Nellie and me do all the talking. We walked up to the front desk. "Hi," I greeted the woman behind the counter.

"Hello." She smiled pleasantly. Her nametag read "Maddie Hunters". Perfect.

I gestured to our suitcases. "We've brought some things for Dramilga N. Tholgrods."

"Maddie" nodded understandingly. She seemed to recognize Dan and me. "You know where to go, then."

"Thank you," Nellie responded. We made our way to a room marked "13". All of the curtains were drawn, hiding us from any patient's view. I made eye contact with an employee, a man who looked to be in his late 20's, and nodded. He unlocked a door labeled "Unauthorized Personnel Not Permitted". Ian, Natalie, Nellie, Dan, and I slipped inside and the door silently swung shut. As soon as we heard the door lock with a _click_, lights flooded the tunnel and revealed a long spiraling staircase.

As we made our way down, Ian matched his pace with mine and asked curiously, "Would you mind telling how you did all of that?"

I looked at him sideways and quickly turned away again before I could blush. "I-it's the procedure for accessing the stronghold," I explained. "The clerk is supposed to have a nametag with some sort of variation of 'Madeleine'. If it's a boy, he's supposed to be 'Matty' or something like that. If it's someone different, we wait until someone else comes. Technically, they're not supposed to let a non-Madrigal take the position, but they slip up sometimes, so we have an alternate procedure just in case. We tell them that we want to visit someone like Dramilga N. Tholgrods. The trick is that 'Dramilga N. Tholgrods' is actually an anagram of 'Madrigal Stronghold'. We switch it up every time so that we're not being suspicious. We go to room 13, which is the sum of the numbers of the date that Madeleine Cahill was born, 1507. No one is allowed to work in that room unless they're a Madrigal, and the curtains are almost always drawn so that the patients don't see us. We send a silent signal to one of the employees. The type of signal depends on each person. Nellie, Dan, and I are pretty well-known, so we don't need much for someone to recognize us. Someone less known would need a more complicated signal, maybe even a password. And then, the employee lets us in."

I looked back at Ian to find warmth in his gaze. We stayed like that for a few seconds. Huh. I could almost _hear_ Dan's teeth grinding. I tore my eyes away when we reached the bottom of the staircase. I leaned down and looked into a scanner for a retina scan. I heard a confirming _beep_. A voice said, _Amy Cahill, Madrigal. Access granted._

Dan stepped forward. _Beep. Daniel Cahill, Madrigal. Access granted._

Nellie went next. _Beep. Nellie Gomez, Madrigal. Access granted._

Ian hesitated, then walked up to the scanner. _Beep. Ian Kabra, Lucian. Permission to enter?_

"Permission granted," I said loudly.

_Beep. Ian Kabra, access granted._

Natalie scanned last. _Beep. Natalie Kabra, Lucian. Permission to enter?_

"Permission granted, let's go!" Dan shouted impatiently.

_Beep. Natalie Kabra, access granted._

A quiet hiss filled the room, and a metal gate appeared in the wall next to the scanner. It opened, and we stepped inside as it closed behind us. I stepped forward and faced Ian and Natalie with a grin. I held out a hand and gestured behind me. "Welcome to the Attleboro Madrigal stronghold."

**

* * *

**

I hope you guys appreciate this. I actually spent a lot of time researching the stuff for accurate information. Yes, Dramilga N. Tholgrods is really an anagram. Yes, according to Google Maps, the Sturdy Memorial Hospital is a real place in Attleboro, MA. I thought it was the best place for a Madrigal stronghold, you know, 'cause it's a hospital. I wanted to keep the flight short and I thought the United Nations Headquarters was too big. Still, if you see any errors, just let me know. Okay, question time again:

1. Should I make Dan back off and leave Amy and Ian alone? Or should I keep it the way it is? Or make him even more against it?

2. You guys probably want more Amy/Ian moments, right?

3. Attleboro _is_ in Maryland, isn't it?

**4. Which characters do you think are still OOC? Which ones do you think I did a good job with?**

**Remember, guys, I _love_ complimenting reviews, but I'd like some constructive criticism, too. I love my readers. :D**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	8. Chapter 8: Stronghold Tour

**Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I know it's taken me FOREVER to update, but I just couldn't find the inspiration. Plus, I've been really busy with my high school applications. I'm almost done, so I'll try to update faster after I finish. Anyway, there's some juicy stuff in here. Read on!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Stronghold Tour**

Ian's POV

I stood there, struggling to keep my mouth closed. I could tell that Natalie was doing the same thing. Gaping was _so_ un-Kabra-like. Still, the stronghold was _amazing_. Perhaps even as good as one of our Lucian bases.

The first thing that struck me was the transparent walls. It was obviously too hard to be regular glass. Besides - we're _Cahills_. Cahills didn't use normal glass. It was probably crystal or diamond, or some other transparent mineral. _I guess Madrigals aren't very secretive inside their branch_, I thought.

We were standing in the middle of a velveteen carpeted hallway. Straight across from us, I saw a room, no, more like an _arena_, full of people practicing acrobatics. Not regular acrobatics, but the kind that you could use in different situations. I saw two people sparring in a ring, but if I hadn't known any better, I would've thought that they were _dancing_ together. They glided across the ring, performing complicated maneuvers and attacks. A little off-way, a boy was flipping his way across a hall full of crossing red beams. Farther down, I spotted a group of people scaling a replica of a building, twisting and kicking their way up. I suddenly understood how Amy had been so graceful and deadly at the same time in our wrestling match.

Amy smiled at our reactions. "This is where we practice our 'moves'." She tilted her head towards the room. She led us farther down the hall while explaining, "Madrigals have the abilities of all the other branches, so we have a lot of training rooms." She stopped at various room, explaining every one.

There was a Tomas room, consisting mostly of heavy weights and weightlifters.

Indescribable music flowed from the Janus room. We saw a full-symphony orchestra playing along with a choir. Farther down, I made out what looked to be like performing stages.

The Ekaterina room was unsurprisingly filled with people in white lab coats rushing around with unnamable items and a few people sitting at computers. Amy explained that this was where the Madrigals usually conducted research unless the information was strictly classified.

I had been wondering about what I would see in the Lucian room. I was not disappointed. I briefly observed what looked like capture the flag, stealth mode, complete with poison weaponry. To the side, I could see shelves of seemingly normal household objects that would most likely become deadly at the flick of the wrist.

"Those are the public rooms," Amy concluded when we reached a solid metal door at the end of the hall. "Anyone is allowed to see what goes on in them. To access the more private places, you need special permission."

With that, Amy typed in some sort of password, and the door slid open. "Come on. I'll introduce you to Uncle Fiske." She led us past the door.

A small part of me marveled at how different Amy seemed now. She seemed comfortable in her current surroundings, without a trace of her nervous stutter. Then again, she _was_ a Madrigal, so it would make sense for her to be confident among her own branch. But still. How far she had come from the girl in South Korea.

I involuntarily flinched inside. I would never forgive myself for hurting her like that. Those two words would awaken pain inside of me wherever I was. She must have despised me so much precisely because she had feared being caught in that exact situation. But...that meant...it would mean that she...

I sighed. No matter how appealing the idea was, I knew that it could never become reality anymore. Even now, I bet she was trying to hide her disgust at being with me.

"Are you alright, Ian?" Amy's voice came out of nowhere. I jerked my head up and found myself looking into her green gaze touched with genuine concern. I realized that I had stopped walking, and that everyone was looking at me.

With the natural reflexes that came with being a Kabra, I hid my surprise and smirked. "Just fine, love."

The concern was immediately replaced by annoyance and subtle amusement. "Drop the nickname, will you?" she muttered.

Amy's POV

Ugh. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't keep Ian off my mind. But being in the stronghold seemed to make everything considerably more relaxed, at least to me. This was where I had learned how not to be nervous, how to be the confident person I had always dreamed of being. This was where I had learned how to be a Madrigal.

I led the group down to Uncle Fiske's office and knocked. "Uncle Fiske? Are you there? It's us. And some friends."

I stepped back when I heard a crash from inside, followed by some grumbling. But sure enough, the door opened a few seconds later to Uncle Fiske's looming figure.

"Ah, hello, Amy," he greeted. He looked behind me. "Dan and Miss Gomez are here, naturally." Dan and Nellie nodded hello. "But could that be...Ian and Natalie Kabra?"

"Um, yeah, you encouraged bringing friends, right?," I replied. "Ian, Natalie, this is our Great-Uncle Fiske." They nodded politely back. Turning back to Uncle Fiske, I explained, "We sort of ran into them in our new neighborhood. So I invited them to come along."

"Of course, of course. Making friends with other branches is always an important part of being a Madrigal." He turned towards Ian and Natalie. "You, there, Ian. You are the next in line as head of the Lucian branch, are you not?"

"Yes, sir," he replied steadily.

Uncle Fiske looked them over for a minute before saying, "Well, Amy here will soon be the head of the Madrigal branch, so I sincerely hope that you will get along." I hoped that he only meant being friends.

He waved us inside his office, and we sat down in some chairs around his desk. "Has Amy shown you around yet?" he asked Ian and Natalie.

"She has," Ian answered. "She's taken us around the public rooms."

"She said that we need special permission to see more," Natalie offered.

Uncle Fiske nodded his approval at me. "True. Well, for the future head of the Lucian branch and his sister, I suppose we could make an exception."

"Excuse me, sir, may I use the restroom?" Natalie piped up.

Uncle Fiske smiled. "Of course. Dan, could you show Miss Kabra the restrooms?"

Natalie winced, and Dan's eyes oogled. "Why me?"

"Because you know your way around, and I expect you to be a gentleman and show her to the ladies' room, then around the stronghold."

Dan opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. Making a frustrated noise, he rose out of his chair and motioned for a pouting Natalie to follow.

After they had left, Uncle Fiske stood and told Nellie, "Would you like to have some coffee with me?"

Nellie nodded. "Sure."

I couldn't believe it. Uncle Fiske obviously didn't know about the unwritten law that neither Dan nor I were to be left alone with a Kabra. _Specifically_, Ian and me.

But before I could say anything, Uncle Fiske and Nellie were at the door. Uncle Fiske smiled at me. "You can show Ian around, can't you, Amy? We'll meet up here in, let's say, an hour. Alright?"

At least Nellie looked slightly alarmed, but she didn't argue. She pursed her lips quickly, then told me, "Don't worry, kiddo. See ya soon." And out they went. Leaving me. With Ian Kabra.

"Well, then. Shall we begin?" Ian stood and brushed off his clothes neatly.

"Um, s-sure." Stupid stutter.

Ian gave a charming smile as he held open the door for me. I grinned nervously back.

We started our way deeper into the stronghold. I showed him some more secretive rooms where we trained, my stutter surfacing occasionally. Ian seemed to stand way too close to me half the time. My pulse was rushing. Why, oh why, did Uncle Fiske have to pair us?

We finished a few minutes earlier than expected. When we arrived at the office, we still had five minutes left. So we just stood around in an awkward silence.

Ian broke the silence first. "Thank you for the tour, Amy. It was wonderful."

"Um, y-you're welcome," I muttered.

He hesitated, then said, "I...I really am sorry for what I did. I know that you can never forgive me, but I just wanted to tell you that."

I turned to him. "Ian, I already told you. I'm not blaming you for that anymore," I said gently.

Ian turned to face me. His eyes were pooled with an indescribable emotion. Slowly, he rested my cheek in his hand. I shivered at his touch, but I couldn't pull away.

He leaned in closer. Oh my gosh. _Too close!_ my mind screamed, but I was trapped in his gaze. Our faces were now centimeters apart. I shut my eyes. Ian closed the distance between us and softly pressed his lips to mine.

* * *

**Woo, first kiss! *sigh* Yes, I know that there was some OOC-ness and sudden mood shifts, but I wanted to get this chapter out faster, so I guess I was a little sloppy. And I'm sorry that I didn't describe the rest of the stronghold very much. I wasn't feeling too creative during Amy's POV. (I write the first part on a different day and it's almost 10pm now. Soo tiirreeeed. -.-) Anyway, how was the Amy/Ian moment? Too fast? Too slow? Review, please! And you're welcome to tell me who was OOC and in what way. (BTW, Firework by Katy Perry is now my favorite English song. :3) AND TODAY IS MY B-DAY! (February 3rd)**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**

**Oh, one more thing. I've put up some polls on my profile, and I don't think I can update any further without some decent results, so hurry and vote!**


	9. Chapter 9: Eriol

**Hey, I'm back with a new chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. I've finally finished my multiple applications to high schools and summer camps. But now I have to study for the SAT. Come on, Mom, I'm not even in high school yet. -_- Sorry the chapter's so short.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Eriol

Ian's POV

As my lips were pressed against Amy's, I congratulated myself for such a courageous feat. I'm serious. Making a move on Amy was harder than breaking into any stronghold.

Finally, I reluctantly pulled away. Her eyes betrayed shock, confusion, and just a hint of happiness. Mostly confusion, though.

We were saved from any awkward silences by Dan's bursting into the room. But my relief was short-lived. His face was strangely pale, and his breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps, as if he'd run a very long distance in a very short amount of time. Natalie stood behind him with an equally worried expression, and it wasn't about being with Dan.

Dan took a few seconds to catch his breath, then blurted out, "Uncle Fiske needs you two in the melee weapons room right away! It's an emergency!"

Amy seemed to have a deeper understanding of the meaning behind Dan's words. The blood drained from her face. "The Vespers," she whispered, almost inaudibly. Dan nodded gravely. She suddenly rushed out of the room and broke into a sprint. It was all I could do to keep up with her.

We turned too many corners for me to count until we finally reached a room that looked as if it had been through an explosion. Broken shafts and metal points lay scattered on the floor. Amy's uncle and au pair huddled with a few other people around something.

The uncle looked up and noticed us. His eyes were wild. "Amy!" he gasped. "Come look at this."

Slowly, Amy walked over to where the other adults were standing and observed a piece of paper on the ground. She let out a small gasp. I walked over to her and looked at the paper. It turned out to be a small handkerchief, not a piece of paper. But it was what was embroidered on it that washed anxiety over me.

The handkerchief had fancy black curls on the borders. In the middle was a large, black _V_.

"The Vespers have destroyed our weapons as a warning," Fiske said.

"But as a warning of what?" asked an elderly woman.

Fiske only shook his head. "I am certain of one thing," he replied. "Amy, Ian, Dan, Natalie, and Miss Gomez _must not_ leave this building. Amy and Ian, I will make arrangements for you, Dan, and Natalie to be excused from school for an indefinite period of time. The Vespers will most surely attempt to capture the future branch leaders and their close friends."

Amy's POV

Uncle Fiske quickly took care of the arrangement for us to stay in the stronghold. We got two bedrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, because it would have been too dangerous for us to be alone in a room for extended periods of time.

Amidst all of the confusion, I still had a little time to think about what had happened in the office. Ian had kissed me. That much, I was sure of. There wasn't much else to be sure of, though. There were too many possibilities. Ian liked me. Ian was playing with me. Ian was plotting to betray me again. Ian was high. I ruled out the last one, though, because I'd been with him for at least an hour, and I was sure that he hadn't touched a drop of liquor. That, and the fact that he didn't seem like the type to drink.

Nellie interrupted my thoughts by telling us to go to our rooms and turn in early, because we would most likely have to be up early the next morning. I decided to take a brief walk down the halls to calm my nerves. Unfortunately, Ian crept into my thoughts again. I was thinking so deeply that I didn't notice the footsteps coming from behind me.

"Excuse me. You are Miss Amy Cahill, are you not?" came a soft male voice with the slightest British accent.

I jerked my head up and turned around. There stood a boy who looked to be around my age with large, thin-framed, round glasses. His facial features were gentle. He was a little taller than me, and he was wearing a casual black suit. Behind him was a large man who might have been a butler or a bodyguard.

"Umm, yes, that's me," I answered slowly.

The boy asked, "May I call you Amy?"

"Sure," I replied, perplexed. Who was this boy? "What's your name?"

"Forgive me. I should have introduced myself. I am Eriol." He gave a small bow.

"Did Uncle Fiske send you? Is it about the Vesper incident? Or do you not know about that?"

Eriol smiled. "Oh, I know about it. In fact, I probably know more about it than you do. I've been sent here to retrieve you. And not by your uncle."

My eyes widened as I realized what he meant, and I bolted. But it was too late. Eriol moved faster than I'd thought. He grabbed my arm and jerked me back. I ended up _w__aay_ too close to him for comfort. I gave a small cry and kicked him as hard as I could. Eriol's grip weakened, just enough for me to escape. But either I must have not kicked him hard enough, or he was used to that sort of thing, because soon, I was back in his arms. He quickly covered my mouth and nose with a handkerchief and blocked off my air. I struggled, but the handkerchief must have had some kind of drug, because I was losing conscious quickly. My flails became weaker and weaker. I tried to let out a scream, but it came out as a whimper. My vision blurred, and my last sight was of Eriol's gently smiling face.

* * *

**Yeah, I put up polls about whether I should make the boy a Madrigal or a Vesper and another poll on his name, but no one cared enough to vote... T^T So I just decided on my personal favorites. And if you recognize Eriol, yes, I did base him off of the Eriol from _Cardcaptor Sakura_. Except not so manga-ish. I'd have Eriol over Syaoran anyday, lol. XD And in case you're really clueless, ERIOL IS A VESPER AND HE HAS JUST KIDNAPPED AMY. See, he's all formal and nice and everything. :) I luv Eriol. 3 Anyway, sorry again for the short chapter. I'll try to update sooner.**

**And you guys should really read xX Shades of Grey Xx/xX Whispers of Grey Xx/Whitelilysong's "The Warriors Hunger Games" if you're read Warriors and The Hunger Games. Shades/Whispers/Whitelily (MAKE UP YOUR MIND) if you're reading this, please PM me and tell me whether or not you'd like to co-write with me. Okay? Either that, or update. Right now.**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~**


	10. Chapter 10: The Vespers

**OMG, HIIIII! Okay, so I _know_ that I have been out for, what, three, four months? But trust me, I have been _seriously_ busy this summer. I haven't even gotten a proper vacation yet! I've been signed up for so many things, I haven't gotten much free time AT ALL. You guys probably thought that I abandoned the story or something. But I'm saying right now: I'M SO SORRYYYY! T.T I especially apologize to CHiKa-RoXy, to whom I broke my promise that I would update by the end of June. I hate breaking promises... Anyway, I can't promise fast updates anymore 'cause I got into a really good high school, but apparently, if I manage my time well and work quickly and efficiently, I'll "only" get about 3 hours of homework a night. T.T Don't get me wrong, I want to update as fast as you guys want me to, but my schedule is _packed_. So I've sort of made it up to you guys, cause this is a pretty long chapter by my standards, and it's got a LOT of stuff.**

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Vespers

Amy's POV

I woke up with a splitting headache. I rubbed my temples as I tried to sort things out. There had been a boy, Eriol. He'd had a man with him, most likely a bodyguard. He'd given me some kind of sleeping drug and knocked me out. But why-?

Oh, right. He was a Vesper. The single word sent chills down my spine. The mysterious Vespers had finally made their appearance.

I sat up and looked around the room. It looked surprisingly luxurious for a captive's cell. Actually, it didn't look like a cell at all, although I noticed an absence of windows. I was sitting on a soft mattress on a queen-sized bed. It was one of those pink canopy beds with princess veils on the sides. Ugh. I was grateful that I was not in a jail cell underground, but _this_ was a little too much.

On the opposite wall hung a giant portrait of a wealthy middle-aged man. _He looks a little like Eriol_, I suddenly realized. I wondered if he was Damien Vesper, the first and founder of the Vespers, which would mean that Eriol was his direct descendent.

Through an open door on the left of the room, I saw a large bathroom. Next to it was a walk-in closet that looked like it held a lot of clothes and a full-length mirror. On the right, there were several bookshelves filled with colorful books.

Suddenly, a voice that I didn't recognize came from the ceiling. "Good morning, Miss Cahill," the voice said. "Master Eriol has requested that you get dressed and meet him for breakfast. Someone will be sent in ten minutes to direct you to the dining room. And don't worry; there are no hidden cameras in your room."

_Gideon forbid there should be a camera watching me get dressed,_ I thought, annoyed. Was it a trap? _Maybe I should just stay. But they're sending someone down,_ I reasoned._ Better to do what they say._

I got out of the bed and went into the closet. The wardrobe consisted mostly of dresses and gowns, but luckily, there were some normal shirts and jeans in a corner. I picked a plain green long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

I was about to walk out when something caught my eye. It was a silver headband with a single, delicate silver flower. I didn't normally wear hair accessories; I just kept my hair down loose. But the headband was captivating. I put it on and looked in the mirror. My ordinary hair couldn't do it any justice. But I smiled. It looked so beautiful, even my plain hair looked somewhat attractive.

It wasn't long before I heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" I called.

The door opened to reveal a tall man with gray hair streaks dressed as a butler. He gave a slight bow. "Hello, Miss Cahill," he greeted formally. "My name is Harold Von. I will be your primary guide during the extension of your stay." The extension of my stay? He made it sound like I was staying at a 5-star hotel instead of being held by enemy ranks! But at least he wasn't trying to rope me up or something like that.

"I trust that you are prepared to meet the young master?" Harold continued. "This way, please."

I swallowed hard and followed the man. He led me through several corridors until we reached marbled double doors. Harold opened them and nodded at me to enter. I nervously stepped into a room that was definitely larger than my own and looked around.

This chamber looked resembled a ballroom, but a bit smaller than the average size. In the middle sat a long wooden table, the kind you would expect to find politicians arguing around or royal businesspeople having a meeting at. Eriol sat at the left head, reading a book.

When I entered the room, Eriol looked up. He held my gaze for a second, then smiled and put his book aside.

"Hello, Amy," he said pleasantly. He stood up and pulled out a chair on his left. "Please, sit down."

I went over, and Eriol sat back down. He gave Harold a nod, and he left.

A few seconds passed before Eriol said anything else. "So, tell me," he finally started. "How do you like it here so far?"

I was tempted to ask him why I was being treated like I was when I was virtually a prisoner. But I decided not to. Better to stay on the safe side. I was pretty sure that I didn't want to offend the person who had probably been the one to arrange my "stay", whatever the reason. Especially if he was a Vesper. So I just replied politely, "It's...n-nice, thank you."

"Would you like some French croissants with New England clam chowder soup?" he offered. "Or would you rather have some Japanese sushi rolls? We have the finest chefs from around the world."

How was I supposed to respond to something like that? "Um, I-I'll have the c-croissants with soup, p-please?" I replied uncertainly. Stupid stutter.

Eriol gave a nod to another butler standing in the corner who I hadn't noticed before. "I shall have the same," he added before he dismissed the butler.

"So," Eriol started abruptly, "I am sure that you have questions about all of this. I would like to ask you a few questions as well. Agreed?"

Obviously, this boy held great power within the Vespers. It would probably be best if I just agreed to what he said, as long as he stayed reasonable. So I nodded.

Eriol smiled again and folded his hands neatly on the table. "All right, then. You've probably already figured out that we - all - are known as the Vespers. You, as a Cahill, most likely have a...sinister feeling about us, correct?" He chuckled. "Well, your ideas of us are not completely true."

This caught me completely off-guard. Not completely true? I didn't know what to think. So I stayed silent as he continued.

"Centuries ago, before the feud between Gideon Cahill and Damien Vesper first started, they were the best of friends. Then, Gideon Cahill discovered the master serum. He ingested it. He gained extraordinary powers. Heightened senses. Cunning. Strength. Speed. Intelligence. When Master Vesper saw him in this state, he was intrigued. He also wanted that serum. When Gideon Cahill left his home, destroying it along with his papers on the master serum, Master Vesper was infuriated. He set out to destroy him and get complete revenge."

I swallowed hard. This was not going in the most peaceful way possible.

"But...this is all you Cahills know. The true story continues further. After years of searching, Master Vesper had not a single lead. And by this time, the four Cahill children had gone their separate ways and a full-fledged war had broken out between Cahills and Vespers. But one day, Master Vesper asked himself, _Why am I doing this?_ After months of pondering, he had decided that unfulfilled revenge was not the real reason that he felt so empty. Then he realized.

"He missed his friend.

"He wanted to rebuild the friendship that had been so dear to the two of them. When Gideon Cahill ingested the master serum, Master Vesper had unconsciously began to think that he was no longer on the same level as his friend, that he was no longer _worthy_ to be his friend, and he hated that feeling. He had mistaken that anger as a thirst for revenge against Gideon Cahill, but he now understood, and he redoubled his efforts to find his long-lost friend. Of course, he was devastated when he discovered that Gideon Cahill had perished in the fire along with his house and research. So he decided that if he couldn't make up with Gideon Cahill himself, he would instead reestablish the friendship between their families."

My eyes were wide. I had never seen this side of the Vespers before. I had always thought that they were the typical bad guys, having no reason to doubt the story that I had been told. But there were still a few things that I didn't quite understand.

"So why have the Vespers been attacking the Cahills all this time? Why haven't you told them the real story yet?" I asked.

"To reunite the Cahill family, of course," Eriol answered. "After Master Vesper had reached his big conclusion, he decided that he owed his friend quite a few favors. So he set out to make up for his errors. And what better way to do this than to put together the pieces of Gideon Cahill's broken family?

"At first, Master Vesper had no idea how to bring together the feuding branches. Finally, he decided that the best way would be to give them a common enemy to fight against. Thus, he set it up so that for decades, centuries even, the Cahills would continue to believe their side of the story and wage war against the Vespers until they came together as one family again. At that point, the Vespers would make peace and establish his long-awaited friendship."

After a short silence, I said quietly," That's...so brave."

Eriol smiled gently. "That's nice of you to say so."

We ate our breakfast in silence as Eriol gave me some more time to let it sink in.

All this time, I had thought that the Vespers were the bad guys. But now they were the good guys.

When we had finished eating and our plates had been cleared, I thanked Eriol for the meal.

"It's no problem. After all, we would be barbarians if we kept you locked up with no food," he assured with his ever-present smile.

"Actually, that's the last thing that I don't understand," I said. "Why did you bring me here? What do you need me for?"

Eriol's smile faded, and he looked down. "Well," he started, "the details are a bit...hazy. The Cahill family has been united, more or less, and the first part of Master Vesper's plan has been fulfilled."

"And the next part is to rebuild the friendship between the Cahills and the Vespers," I finished.

"Exactly," Eriol confirmed. "The leader of the Vespers has always been a direct descendant of Damien Vesper. For centuries, the leadership has been passed down from father to son. My father met a somewhat early end, leaving the Vespers in my care."

I was filled with sympathy for Eriol. He was the same age as me, yet he was in charge of the Vespers. Of course, I was in charge of the Madrigals, but being the leader of a single branch was probably different from being the leader of the entire family. Not to mention that his father was dead...

"It was Damien Vesper's will for the leader to always decide which path to take when reuniting the Cahills or reestablishing the friendship between the Cahills and the Vespers. It was, for the most part, simple when the leader was only maintaining the war. But thanks to recent events, the Cahill family has come together, and it is now time for the more delicate plan to come into play. And it has been my responsibility to create that plan. After much planning, I have decided on a route that is very risky and highly dangerous, but will be completely effective if things turn out right. Amy, this is where you come in. This is why I have told you everything that I have.

"Everything depends on you."

I was completely mystified. "What...what do I have to do?" I asked cautiously.

Eriol looked straight at me. I was surprised at the intensity in his eyes. The fire, the hope... and something else.

"Amy...we need you to join the Vespers."

* * *

**Woot! Hope you like cliffies! :3 I'm hoping to have another chapter up by the end of summer, but once again, I can't make any promises. But please, please, _please_ review! Reviews are like fuel for my stories. More reviews=faster update. And better story. And what about Eriol? Love? Hate? Bring in another character to make it even more confusing? Also, as a last thing, PLEASE keep checking my profile. I'll put up polls related to my stories, and their results will most likely affect the storyline. I'll also keep updating and talk about how I'm coming along with the next chapter and stuff. I've also moved my disclaimer for my stories to my profile. Well, another chapter finally out. I feel so accomplished! XD  
**

**Lovely Out! ~`'~  
**


End file.
